Robot 6

Comics A.M. | Marvel’s big push for AvX; New 52 hurting GN sales?

Publishing | David Gabriel, Marvel’s senior vice president of publishing, says that Marvel is putting “the biggest marketing investment that we’ve ever put into a series or an event” behind its upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men event. The campaign will include online, social media, radio and television promotion. “They’re actually treating every issue as an event, because there’s a different fight going on in every issue, and I’m told that they are pushing every single issue through all 12 issues,” Gabriel said. “The story itself has three acts, and each of those acts has a natural marketing hook to it, so they’re pushing those as well.” [ICv2]

Publishing | While DC’s New 52 has been good for comics sales overall, there is a dark side: Sales of pre-reboot collected editions are down. ICv2 also lists the Top 10 comics and graphic novel franchises in a number of different genres. [ICv2]

Legal | The Justice Department brought more charges of fraud and copyright infringement against Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom and his colleagues on Friday, but also revealed that Megaupload isn’t all that mega: The file-sharing site had only 66.6 million users, not the 180 million previously claimed, and fewer than 6 million had ever actually uploaded a file. The indictment mentions one user who uploaded almost 17,000 items, including copyrighted movies, which were viewed 34 million times. [The Washington Post]

Publishing | How well did the original Ghost Rider and its spinoff series sell, back in the day? John Jackson Miller compiles the numbers from the statements of ownership in the original 1970s-’80s series and two later incarnations. It’s interesting to see how the fortunes of the franchise changed over the years, going from a solid but unspectacular seller in the 1970s to hot-hot-hot in the 1990s and then stumbling along with the rest of the industry mid-decade. [The Comichron]

Awards | Nomination ballots are now available for the 2012 Harvey Awards. Ballots are due by April 16 and are open only to comic book creators. The awards will be presented Sept. 8 at the Baltimore Comic-Con. [Harvey Awards]

Comic strips | The Japanese animation studio Madhouse, which is responsible for classics like Cardcaptor Sakura and Satoshi Kon’s Paprika and collaborated on the Marvel anime, is working on a Peanuts anime. [Crunchyroll]

Mark Millar

Creators | Mark Millar discusses all of his upcoming comics and movie projects, and talks about why he focuses more on making comics than movies: “I haven’t been to Los Angeles since 2008. Wanted and Kick-Ass premiered there. I didn’t go because of the heat. I love living in Scotland. The climate is perfect for me. In a weird way that makes you more desirable because everyone else plays that game of kneeling down in front of the studio executives. You hear about guys renting apartments near the movie studios in Los Angeles and pitching ideas to some guy looking at an egg timer. It’s so demeaning. I took the JK Rowling approach. I write my books and get on with it. If anyone wants to make them into a film, they’ll make an appointment and we’ll talk in Glasgow or London. I can’t drive. I don’t have an extravagant lifestyle to fund so I’m not over there hawking things.” [Daily Record]

Creators | Letterer Todd Klein shares memories of his time working for DC Comics, from when he hand-lettered the display lettering on covers to when he received his first desktop computer. [Todd’s Blog]

Graphic novels | Tim Caron talks about using Mat Johnson and Warren Pleece’s Incognegro as a text in a variety of different college courses. [Comics and the U.S. South]

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Comments

8 Comments

The Livewire

Hmm the Graphic novel bit is ironic. I just found “Depths” at HPB, and had pre-ordered the last Secret Six Graphic Novel, so I now have the complete run. I need to get the first half of Brian Miller’s Bat-girl run and I’d like all of Red Robin in GN format.

Guess I’d better hurry before DC decides to put it all in limbo.

Mike.T

Beacon

Low sales on the preboot collections are kind of a self-fulfilling prophecy on DC’s part. DC keeps canceling preboot collections with little to no notice so I’ve stopped expecting to see them. I was astonished when the final Brian Miller Batgirl trade that they solicited actually came out since every other collection of recent material that I’ve wanted to buy has been cancelled.

Michael Howey

@angrytownman
I believe May will see the first Stormwatch trade which will reference events from Superman 1 which won’t see trade until November, by which time I believe a second Stormwatch trade will be out. Madness.

I don’t understand this idea that comics published before the New 52 relaunch “don’t matter.” I’ve been reading some lately and enjoying them very much. So, to me, they matter. I also occasionally read DC comics that were published before Crisis on Infinite Earths in 1985. If the same rationale that’s applied to pre-New 52 books is applied to pre-Crisis books, then the whole Silver Age “doesn’t matter.” But again, when I read Silver Age DC comics, I really enjoy them. So, I think they matter. And besides, despite all of the crises and relaunches, it seems to me that there really is a single narrative that runs through DC’s publications. I consider Crisis and Flashpoint to be major developments in that overall narrative.